Bed of Roses
by Tina Chaves1
Summary: One night out makes Rachel reflect about her current situation.
1. Chapter 1

**Bed of Roses**  
by Tina

- - -

Rachel glanced at her watch, balancing the phone on one shoulder while her hands were preoccupied fumbling through many sheets of paper scattered around her desk. Shit, it was almost twenty minutes past six. 

"Lilah, I am telling you, it is not here!"

Oh, her mother was going to kill her if she showed up late to her birthday party! It was bad enough she hadn't made it to the last few parties she had thrown. This time Sandra Green had made it very clear she wasn't going to accept any excuse. And, oh well, Rachel knew she couldn't afford to be in her mother's black list at the moment. After all, she had surprisingly proved to be a great babysitter for Emma, specially since Rachel had decided to turn down the job offer in Paris and, from time to time, needed some alone time with her now fiance Ross.

"Ah, found it! OK, here's what we're gonna do, I'm gonna mark this _very urgent_-" She narrated as she wrote the words on a post-it and stuck it to the main page of the report she was holding. "-and I'll have it mailed to you first thing in the morning, how's that?

"If that's the best you can do...!" The snobbish voice said on the other end of the line, making Rachel's nerves stir even more. What a bitch.

A few minutes later, she finally exited her office, carrying a bag and her heavy coat. She dropped the report at her assistant's desk and, within a couple of minutes, hurriedly entered the Burberry daycare facility to find a tearful Emma with her arms crossed, looking at the door. The two and a half years old girl was very petite, giving her the appearance of being even younger, which was funny to watch since she was very well articulate, considering her age. Her father's genes doing their best to show, Rachel figured, since the little girl was a spitting image of herself. Her hair was now darker, dirty blonde, almost brown. Her eyes round and blue, her skin milky white and her cheeks naturally pink. Her pouty lips always won Rachel over.

"Sorry I'm late!" Rachel said to one of the ladies who worked there.

"Oh, it's quite alright. It's Emma you should be worried about, really."

Rachel turned her attention back to her child, who was hopping off her chair and tossing a doll she had been holding aside.

"What happened, sweetie?"

"Danny said you _fogot_ me!"

Rachel approached her, got down on her knees and hugged her child.

"Of course I didn't, honey. Mommy was just working. Besides, what does Danny know anyway? Now come on, we're running late! We're gonna go and visit Grandma Green, isn't that exciting? It's her birthday today!"

Emma wiped her eyes with her long sleeves and went to pick up her pink Hello Kitty backpack.

"_Awe_ we having cake?"

Rachel smiled. Her English was nearly perfect, yet it always amused Rachel how she usually couldn't get her Rs to sound right.

"Of course. Come here."

Rachel quickly helped her daughter putting her coat on and they left.

Outside, Rachel struggled to get a cab. She looked both ways and failed to see any yellow car driving by. After a few seconds, she felt Emma's hand slip away from hers and turned around to watch her run towards a pile of snow that had been pushed to the side of the building on the sidewalk. She didn't have time to say anything before Emma squatted down and shoved her gloved hands inside it. Rachel gasped, horrified.

"Emma, no!"

The little girl turned to face her mother, an innocent look on her face.

"What?" She asked, cluelessly.

Rachel approached her and pulled her up.

"Honey, that's dirty!"

"It's snow!"

"It'd old snow! It's been sitting there all day." Emma made a face and Rachel took her freezing hand. "And now it's gonna melt in your gloves, great...!"

They turned back around only to see an empty cab coming down the street.

"Oh, taxi, taxi!!" Rachel yelled out, waving her free hand frenetically.

Too late.

She closed her eyes and sighed, watching it drive away. It was one of those days.

-

She pushed the apartment door open and entered after Emma, who ran right into her bedroom. She was now holding her things and Emma's party dress she had to drop by the dry cleaners to get. Of course she had only remembered about it when she was almost home, costing her a few more dollars to have the driver to go back several blocks to get it. Wonderful.

"Ross?" Rachel shouted.

No response.

"Ross?" She tried again.

"Daddy's not home." Emma said, coming back from her room with a bucket filled with Lego pieces.

"Honey, you can't play now, we're gonna be late!" Rachel said picking up the phone and quickly calling Ross. Emma stared at her with narrowed eyes. "And don't give me that look, young lady."

Emma stood up and walked back into her room, leaving her bucket behind. Rachel sighed.

"Hello?" Ross answered.

"Honey, where are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie, I'm at a bar with a few colleagues, we're celebrating! Jim's wife's pregnant! You should come and join us."

Rachel balled up her free hand into a fist.

"I can't. Emma is acting as if she's fifteen and, oh, anything along the lines of my mom's birthday ring any bells?"

"Oh." He paused. "Damn it! Sorry, Rach, I'll be home as quick as I can, OK?"

"Urgh, OK. Bye."

She hung up, frustrated. She glanced at her watch, it was half past seven. Ross would take a while to get home, meaning she would have to get Emma ready as well, a job that was usually left for Ross given that Rachel always took a long time to get ready herself.

"Emma, hop into the shower, Missy, come on!"

The little girl was at her best that night. Although Rachel wasn't sure if that was the best way to put it. Maybe it was a punishment for leaving her waiting so long at daycare, maybe it was just the phase. Oh, the _"terrible twos"_. Emma had been unusually bossy lately, always wanting to have things her way, defying authority and claiming an independency she wasn't nearly quite ready for yet.

In the shower, she decided to apply soap in her hair instead of shampoo while Rachel wasn't paying attention, simply 'cause _"it smelled so good!"_. As a result to that, brushing it proved to be quite a traumatizing experience.

"Mommy, no, it hurts!!" She wept.

"That'll teach you. I can't leave it like this, Emma!"

"But no!"

"OK, come on, let's try one of my products to make it better."

Rachel turned around to check on her things and Emma saw this as an opportunity to save herself. She dropped her towel and ran out of the bathroom stark naked.

"Wha-** Emma**!!"

Rachel cursed under her breath and ran after her daughter in the living room, only to find the wet girl running towards her father's open arms.

"Hey, Emma!" He said lovingly, picking her up. He noticed Rachel's frustrated expression and looked back at their child, who was smirking. "What's going on?" He asked.

"You take care of her, I need to get ready." Rachel said, throwing the hair brush over her shoulder on her way to the bathroom.

**Ahhhhrghh**!!

She could really use a long and nice hot shower. Yet, she knew she had to be as quick as she could. Damn, what a long week. She massaged her own shoulders, one at a time, as she thought about her life. Of course she loved her child. Of course she loved her fiance. Of course she loved her job and everything else in her life. But oh... She was so tired. God knows it wasn't always easy. She missed her friends. She missed having time to do whatever she pleased or simply nothing at all. She missed a lot of things she knew she would never have again.

She picked out a dress and took care of her hair in record time. She knew she wouldn't have time to blow dry it, so she quickly styled it with some mousse, hoped for the best and started working on her make up. As she brushed foundation onto her face, she cringed, hearing Emma on the background screaming for something. It simply did not help her developing headache. She massaged her temples and decided it would be wise to take as aspirin if she wanted to make it through the evening.

"But daddy, oh daddy, please!!" Emma was pleading in the kitchen while bouncing up and down.

Rachel eyed her and was pleased to see she was all ready, looking very fresh in her pretty floral dress.

"Honey, no, you can't have pudding right now. We're going to your grandma's, you know she's gonna have a lot of treats for you there! Here, I'll give you an apple if you're hungry." Ross reasoned.

Rachel quickly took the aspiring, swallowed it with a sip of tap water and left before she ended up getting involved in the discussion. A few seconds later, Ross followed her into the bathroom and started undressing.

"Oh God, Emma won't let anything go tonight, will she?" He commented as he stepped into the shower.

Rachel looked down at his clothes on the floor and sighed. Not the kind of thing that would bother her in the past, but lately Rachel found herself becoming more and more like a suburban housewife. She dropped the concealer onto the sink and picked up his clothes, throwing them into the hamper.

"Nope. That'll teach you not to bring up the matter of other kids for another few years." She hissed. If she said anything else, it would definitely turn into a fight.

Ross grinned.

"We'll see about that." Still leaving the water running, he opened the door and looked at Rachel. "Come here."

"What?"

"Come here, I wanna give you a kiss."

She shook her head. Sure he must have noticed her annoyance and simply wanted to make it up to her, take a shot at lighting up her spirit. But... oh, it was simply not the time for that!

"Ross, we're running late and you're wet."

"Come on." He stepped out of the shower, dripping as he crossed the bathroom to throw his arms around her.

"Ross, no!"

He kissed her cheek and she put her hands on his chest, pushing him away.

Gladly, they were interrupted by a loud noise coming from the kitchen. They exchanged looks.

"I'll go check on Emma." Rachel said.

Upon entering the kitchen, she couldn't help but gasp and raise both hands to each side of her face.

"Oh my God!"

There stood Emma all covered in marinara sauce, the fridge door open and a big tupperware on the floor, surrounded by fettuccine strings.

"Emma?!"

The little girl looked down and started playing with her dirty hair.

"I'm _sowy_...!" She mumbled.

"I **cannot** believe you! Were you trying to get some pudding?"

"Er, no? I was hm, I was _weaching_ for the apple!" She obviously lied.

Rachel took yet another deep breath and tried to keep it together.

* * *

This story... It's very random, really. It was gonna be a one shot, but it's gotten way too long. So I'll break it down into three or four chapters, I'm not sure. It's not finished yet, but I'm almost there! Hopefully getting reviews will make me write faster! I'll probably post one chapter every two days or so :) So please review, it's still time to make a few changes! Anyway. Kids...! This isn't Emma all the time, as the next few chapters will show you. But she still a child, so... :) And of course Rachel's got a full head right now. Bear with me. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Bed of Roses**  
by Tina

- - -

Forty five minutes late. Rachel tore her eyes from her watch and knocked on the door, trying to get prepared for all that waited for them behind it. She felt something on her leg and looked down to find Emma hugging her left thigh.

"Don't be mad, mommy..."

Rachel half smiled. Oh, that beautiful little brat. She knew she couldn't be mad at her for too long. She picked her up and kissed her cheek. The little girl was now wearing an ivory dress with a matching satin hair band. The dress was a little bit tight, she was growing out of it. But, oh well, it had to do the job that night, under the circunstances. Her hair was still wet from the second shower she had had to take.

Before Rachel could say anything, the door opened and Sandra Green beamed at them.

"Wow, look at that! You made it!! Come in!"

As they walked into the beautiful Park Avenue apartment, Ross put his hand on Rachel's lower back and she welcomed it, acknowledging it as one of the simple acts that demonstrated their intimacy, despite their little arguments.

"Happy birthday, mom!" Rachel said, throwing her free arm around her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, sweetie."

"Happy birthday, _Gwandma_!" Emma cheered, opening her arms wide, dramatically.

Sandra smiled and picked her up from Rachel's arms.

"Thank you, sweetie! Oh, I've got so many people to show you off to!"

Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"Show her off? She's not a show dog, mom!"

"Well, she _is_ my only grandchild."

Rachel shook her head, hoping Ross wouldn't see this as an opportunity to say something about that matter. But before he could think of anything at all, she said:

"Right, 'cause _that_ makes it OK."

"Happy birthday, Sandra." Ross said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and handing her a gift box.

"Aw, thank you, Ross! Your parents are bound to come too, they just called saying they're gonna be a little late, though."

"Oh, OK."

"Now excuse me, there she is, Marianne James. She has three grandkids herself and she won't stop rubbing that on my face. Not one of them is even close to how beautiful our little Emma is, though! I'll make sure to rub that on hers!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, not enjoying the gleeful look on her daughter's face as they walked off.

"God, if this keeps up can you picture Emma when she turns sixteen?"

Ross gave her a look, one that didn't require any words for a detailed explanation. She could read him entirely after so many years.

"Oh, come on! I was _not_ that bad!" She defended herself, indignantly.

"If you say so..."

Rachel looked around, inspecting the familiar and unfamiliar faces in the room. The couple made themselves at home. They took off their jackets and exchanged them with a waiter for a glass of wine each.

"Why did my mother invite so many people? It's not like it's a special birthday, anyway. She's turning like, what, 58?"

"Last time I checked she had stopped at 50, Rach. So, yeah, it's like every year she's celebrating that." He nodded, smiling. "And 50 is a big deal."

"Oh damn, there's Mindy. And Claudia and Julia. And Lisa." She said, mostly to herself.

She couldn't help but notice Claudia's beautiful dress. A Valentino, she was sure of it, black Jersey & Chiffon. Almost three thousand dollars. God, about three years ago she would kill for it. But now... Well, now it would be much too irresponsible of her to spend all that money on a dress she wouldn't get to wear that much, anyway.

Still, it didn't keep her for wanting it...

_'OK, OK. Focus on all the useful things you could get for Emma with all that money.' _She reminded herself.

Besides, she still recalled with great discomfort the lecture Ross had given her the day she came home with a pair of new Jimmy Choo boots. God, they were worth every penny! All the pennies there were in those eight hundred and forty five dollars. She just wished he would see it that way too.

"Rachel!"

She turned and saw Mindy approaching, wide smile on her face.

"Oh, Mindy, hi!"

She approached and they hugged.

"How are you? I haven't seen you since like forever!"

"I've been good, pretty good."

"Your mom keeps us updated, she can't shut up about your daughter and your job and-" Mindy looked at Ross. "-I hear your engaged?"

"Yes. Yes, we are." Rachel said.

"Finally! My second divorce is coming out and you're still getting into your first marriage? Keep up, honey!"

Rachel frowned and exchanged looks with Ross.

"Hm. Yeah. Sure."

She was gonna make a joke about Ross' failed marriages, something about them balancing it out, but... Oh well, she was just too tired for it. Besides, it would bring up their Vegas joke of a marriage and that never did well for her nerves, anyway. She sure didn't need it that particular night.

"Actually, this isn't exactly her first marriage." Ross began.

Rachel looked up at him, a killer look on her face.

"What? Oh, no, if you're talking about Barry, it doesn't count, you know."

"No, no." He continued, not noticing the way Rachel still looked at him. "We once got married in Vegas, about like six years ago, was it? We were drunk and-" He looked at her and shut up when he saw pure annoyance stamped on her face.

"Excuse me." She said, leaving them alone.

She sipped her wine heavily and looked around. She could see her mother with her child on her arms. A crowd of middle aged women surrounded them, with fake smiles plastered on their faces. Well, to be fair, it was probably the only expression they had left in their overly-botoxed faces.

She felt a hand on hers and turned around to see Ross standing beside her.

"Hey, come here."

Rachel sighed with frustration as he led her to a quiet corner in the large living room.

"What?"

"What's up?"

"Nothing's wrong with me!" She snapped, rather passive-aggressively.

Ross shot her a look.

"That's not what I asked, but yeah, that was very convincing." He said, with sarcasm in his voice.

She avoided his eyes.

"Look," He continued. "I know these parties are a lot to take, but we're here now, better face it the best way we can. Or if you don't wanna stay, let's just go home, OK? We'll come up with an excuse."

"I can't do that, you know it! And it's not just the party, it's..." She trailed off.

"It's what?"

"It's complicated!"

Ross stood there and looked at her for a while.

"If you won't open up, you're right, it is complicated, to me."

"Ross, not now."

He watched her for a while and his look turned into a stern one.

"You're right. Just... take it easy, OK?"

Rachel nodded, looking down.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She whispered.

He uncertainly kissed her left temple and left. Rachel raised her eyes and watched as he mingled with the crowd. He truly was an amazing man... She wished she could show him that everyday.

But there were days...

She shook her head. He was right. She was already there, so better try and deal with it. It was only for a few hours, anyway. Gladly they had little Emma, whose bedtime had already passed a while ago. In a few more minutes Rachel was sure she would have to surrender to exhaustion, giving them a perfectly reasonable "excuse" - not that that's how she saw her child, merely - to leave early.

"Hey, you guys!" She said, approaching the area where her old friends were.

"Rachel, oh my God hi!"

"Rach!!"

Some of them jumped up and down like school girls, letting out little screams and clapping their hands together. Rachel took a little involuntary step back and forced herself to smile.

"How have you been?" Claudia asked, pulling her into a hug.

"I've been great, yeah."

"What was it that your mom told us about you going to Paris?"

"Oh, yeah, I was going to, a while ago, I had a job offer at Louis Vuitton..."

"Wow!! Look at you Miss Business Woman!"

Rachel smiled weakly. Huh. Nice title, she liked it.

"Yeah, but then I turned it down. Decided to stay here in New York with Emma's father." She finally smiled truthfully, thinking of how well things had worked out. "Which turned out to be a very wise move, actually. Now we're engaged and I'm working at Burberry instead."

"How do you do it? Sometimes I feel overwhelmed enough with the kids and the house to take care of! And there you are, _Superwoman_, putting us all down to shame!"

"Weren't you working with your dad, Claudia?"

"For like a year a million years ago, yeah. But then the kids came and... oh well!" She rolled her eyes, like it was no big deal.

"OK..." Rachel said. "Believe me, it's not always easy. But... Ross is a great guy, he helps out a lot. Actually, he does most of the work at home."

"I bet you have a great nanny too to help you deal with it!"

"No, not really. I mean, we had one when I fist went back to work after Emma was born and she was with us until I thought I was moving to Paris. But then she got another job and before we could look for someone else we realized it wouldn't be necessary anymore. I mean, I'm not saying Emma isn't hard work because God knows she is! But they have a day care center at my office and, I don't know... There's just no need for it, anymore."

"Wow. Well, I can't imagine life without a nanny, really."

"Oh, tell me about it! Who's gonna watch the kids when I go shopping or to the hair salon?"

"I know! And besides, they're so much hard work and so naughty! The other day Jamie actually spit all over this cake our cook had just baked just so no one else could have it."

"Ah, Timmy and Pam do stuff like that all the time, too. And when Timmy wants something and Pam gets it, sometimes he pees on it if he gets the chance!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes, suddenly thinking Emma was the sweetest angel in the world.

"So how old are they?" Rachel asked.

"Jamie's ten."

"Timmy's eight, Pam is eleven."

"Wow..." Rachel couldn't help it. In her mind they would have to be four at most!

"I know, can you believe we're old enough to have kids who are that old?" Claudia said smiling, oblivious to Rachel's real thoughts. The others giggled with her.

"I know! It's like every year we get younger!"

They giggled harder, while Rachel simply watched.

"I should think so, with all the money my surgeon gets!"

Wow, so her friends were already being surrendered by such methods?

"You look gorgeous, Rach! Care to tell us your little secret?"

"Hm, I don't know... I did Pilates for a while after Emma was born, but now I just have the time to run a little sometimes after I come home from work and Ross is taking care of dinner...! Then, I don't know, we try to eat as healthy as we can... And... I don't know?"

"So you're telling me you've never been under the knife?"

"Er, not for cosmetic purposes, no."

"Not even after you had your baby?"

"No."

"I don't believe it. Is it even possible to lose that baby weight naturally?"

"Well, I didn't have time to sleep, eat or pretty much do anything else after she was born, so... Yeah, it was pretty easy, in a way, actually. I mean, exhaustive and maddening. But, other than that, easy"

"Right. I keep forgetting you don't have a nanny!"

Her friends giggled. Rachel narrowed her eyes again. What, the spare time moms were now mocking her?

"But, still, how do you keep your skin so fresh?"

Rachel smiled and decided to play the game right, using her own cards. Oh, who were they kidding anyway? Rachel knew better. If they were gonna poke her, she had the right to poke even harder.

"Sex!"

Julia almost chocked on her wine.

"Wow. Really?"

Rachel raised her eyebrows and nodded, a satisfied smile still lingering on her lips.

"That great?"

"Hmhum. Possibly even better."

"I thought you didn't have much time for such things having to take care of your child and working and all?"

"Who doesn't have the time for fantastic sex? It charges my batteries."

"Wow. So you guys are pretty active, huh?"

"That's an understatement, but yeah."

"Oh, you guys are engaged. Give it some time and we'll talk about it again." Lisa said, waving it off.

Rachel chuckled.

"I'm sure it will slow down with time, of course." Rachel admitted, earning a smitten look from Lisa. "But that's OK. It is not just about sex, thank God. We're best friends. And besides, a quickie with him is already better than a whole night with anybody else, so..."

Rachel crossed her arms and couldn't help but enjoy the uncomfortable looks on her former friends' faces.

"So, when's the wedding?" Claudia asked.

"Still a few more months ahead. Daddy insisted on having it at the Plaza, so the next available date isn't any time soon. I would be happy to have it anywhere, but I'll give that one to the man. He wasn't pleased we had Emma out of a wedlock and I'll be the first out of his daughters to get married, so..." She paused for a second. "I think he had given up hope!"

"She's really beautiful."

Rachel followed Julia's eyes and saw she was looking at Emma. She smiled proudly.

"She is. And she's really smart too. And funny and polite and sweet!" Rachel gushed. "Well... when she feels like it, anyway."

"How old is she? Two?"

"And a half."

"God, by that age my kids would turn the entire house upside down!"

Rachel smiled to herself.

"Ah, Emma is good. She usually has a lot of things to say on her behalf whenever we catch her doing something wrong. So it's good to know she's usually not doing them just to be a brat."

"She defends herself?"

"Oh yeah, and with fair arguments too. She's very articulate."

She noticed her friends exchanging looks and decided to ignore it. She knew she wasn't just saying those things because it was her child.

...OK, maybe just a little.

Oh, anyway, the entire conversation so far seemed to have been all about her. She was past the time when she would only have it that way.

"So, anyway, tell me, how have you guys been?"

It was so obvious. It was like Rachel had a very comfortable seat in a little theater and a bowl of popcorn on her lap, watching as the beautiful women before her put on a mask. A beautiful and very intricate mask, probably manufactured somewhere in Italy. Or something. And the show began.

"Oh, terrific!" Claudia started. "Kevin just made partnership at the company! We're celebrating it next week with a cruise in the Mediterranean."

"Liam just bought me a new convertible Mercedes!!" Julia said.

Rachel watched her for a while, trying to find the connection between her question and that answer. Oh, well, any reason to brag, right?

"What about you, Lisa?"

"You haven't seen me in a while, right? Well, just started on Atkins a few months ago, your mom converted me. Life saver, must say, I've lost like twenty pounds. I really needed it, sometimes I felt like my marriage was at stake here!"

"Oh, yeah, you were a cow." Julia said, unmercifully.

Rachel didn't even know how to react to that.

"Wow. Good, good for you guys."

For a while the four of them small talked. Rachel's mind kept racing, decoding most of the things she heard and saw. And the worst part was the way the other women talked about their lives, as if Rachel should want to be in their shoes. She shivered at the idea. Gladly she now knew what was truly important in life. But maybe the idea of someone else wishing to be them was one of the superficial things that kept them going. _How sad_, Rachel thought.

It was starting to get rather boring when Emma came to the rescue.

"Hey, sweetie. What's up?"

Emma looked at the other women around her and blushed. She motioned for her mom to approach and, when she did, Emma moved closer to whisper into her ear.

"I have to pee."

Rachel smiled.

"I'll be right back, you guys."

She took her daughter's hand and together they walked into the bathroom. Rachel helped Emma getting ready to do her business.

"Are you enjoying the party, honey?"

"It's OK."

"Did Grandma give you anything to eat?"

Emma nodded.

"Good."

After she was done, Rachel helped her out, wiped her and kissed the top of her head.

"Good girl." She praised her, as she had read she was supposed to during the whole process of potty training - which, in Emma's case, since it'd started really early was already on its final stages.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, honey bunny?" Rachel asked, washing her hands on the sink.

"Is my nose too big?"

Rachel looked down at her child, surprised.

"Is Aunt Amy here? Did she tell you this?"

Emma nodded.

"Oh, honey." Rachel picked her up and placed her on a sitting position on the sink, facing her. "You are a beautiful, really beautiful little girl. And you know why? Because you have a beautiful little heart in you. You are an amazing kid and your father and I love you very, very much. More than you'll ever know. As do so many other people."

"Like _Gwandma_ and Auntie Monica?"

"And all your other grandparents, and Ben, and Uncle Chandler, and Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Joey..." Rachel added. "And that's the most important thing in the world. Who you and everybody else are on the inside, sweetie. Never forget that, OK? Now... In addition to that... Aunt Amy is crazy. There is nothing wrong with you, my baby. You're not just beautiful on the inside. You got even luckier. You're so beautiful on the outside too. And you're so young to be worrying about that."

Emma made a face and Rachel realized she could have cut her speech in half. Emma's worries weren't that deep, she was still two, after all. But Rachel took it personally. She didn't want anybody out there planting little seeds in her child's head that might later on grow and be the cause of so many serious issues. Specially over such a superficial matter, one she had struggled to rid herself of not long ago.

"You're beautiful too, mommy!"

Rachel smiled and kissed her daughter's nose, earning giggles from the infant.

"Thank you, honey. And your nose is fine, by the way. You got your Aunt Monica's nose, thank God." She said, putting Emma back down from the sink.

* * *

Random, told ya! Just wanted to post this ASAP because I loved the reviews I've gotten so far! They haven't been many, but they were pretty sweet and from people whose opinion I truly admire! So, please, keep the coming! Reviews really encourage me! ;) Take care! Tenneil, love ya, bum face! hee! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Bed of Roses**  
by Tina

- - -

Back in the living room, Rachel noticed Emma was following her and reaching out to grab her hand. She held it.

"You don't wanna go with grandma anymore?"

Emma simply shook her head, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. Ah, there it was: exhaustion.

Rachel looked up again and noticed the husbands had joined her friends, as well as Ross, who was looking at her and smiling. She smiled back.

"What did I miss?" She asked, sitting down next to her fiance and bringing Emma to sit on her lap, the little girl's back pressed against her stomach. Ross put his arm around her.

"Rachel, you remember Liam, don't you?"

"Sure. Hi, how are you?"

"Good."

"And Kevin."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"And Tom."

"Hey."

"We were just talking about trips! I was just telling them about our quick visit to the West Coast last week." Julia said.

"Oh, honey," Claudia started, turning to her husband, Kevin. "remember that time we went to San Diego for Katherine's birthday? We had a lot of fun, didn't we?"

Kevin laughed and shook his head.

"It was a nightmare. Boring relatives and Claudia here blew the credit card limit on the second day of shopping!"

Ross and Rachel exchanged looks. Lisa patted her husband's knees softly.

"Can I get you anything, darling?"

"Scotch on the rocks."

She stood up.

"Oh the way."

"Maybe we could set up a trip with all of us together one time! Maybe we could like go to Vermont or something!"

"Julia, don't be stupid, it's embarrassing." Her husband interjected. "That place is a dump!"

Rachel looked at Julia and they caught each other's eyes, until Julia looked away. Rachel sighed and turned to face Ross, filled with gratitude for the man she had found to herself. Then, she realized something random. They hadn't kissed that day. He had left in the morning while she was still sleeping to teach an early class and at night, well, she had been a little too busy being annoyed with the whole world to think about that.

She smiled just as he turned to look at her. He smiled back. Without hesitancy, she leaned closer and planted a soft kiss on his lips. She felt his thumb that rested on her shoulder - as did his whole hand - stroke her bare skin softly in appreciation, leaning closer again to kiss her forehead. She finally relaxed and melted to his side, leaning her head onto his chest as he pulled her closer.

Emma also readjusted herself. She noticed her parents' sweet gestures and wanted to be a part of it too. The grown ups conversation was too boring, anyway. She turned around to face her mom, giving her back to the rest of the guests, and wrapped her arms around Rachel's sides, resting her head on her chest. The motion caused her hair band to fall off, so she picked it up and handed it to her mother.

"Do you want me to put it in my purse?" Rachel offered.

"No, back on me, _pwetty_ please."

Rachel smiled at how feminine Emma was, most of the time.

"OK, look at me." Emma faced up to look at her. Rachel ran her fingers through her daughter's shoulder length hair and adjusted the beautiful band back on. "There, perfect!" She said, now running her fingers softly through her daughter's bangs.

"Thank you, mommy."

Rachel smiled and leaned closer, playfully and very softly biting Emma's nose. The little girl giggled and did the same on her mother, only a bit harder. Rachel giggled back and covered her nose.

"Ouch, you little monster."

"Not a _monstow_, mommy! A _Tywanosauwus_! Like in the movie! _Woaww_!!" She mimicked adorably.

Rachel laughed and turned to look at Ross, who was smiling.

"Damn you and that movie!"

"The kid's got good taste, what can I say?"

Rachel shook her head and turned back to face Emma, who was giggling and then leaned closer and kissed her mom's cheek while hugging her very tight.

"Mmmmwah! I _wuv _you, mommy!"

Rachel hugged her back, very tight.

"I love you too, Em."

She kissed Emma's hair and spotted Judy and Jack Geller arriving the party.

"Oh, honey, look who's just arrived!"

Emma turned around and smiled widely when she saw her grandparents.

"Nana!! _Gwandpa_!"

They approached while Emma hopped off her mom's lap and ran to meet them halfway.

"Oh, my little princess!" Judy said, picking her up.

"Look at you all big! I bet you've grown a whole foot since last week."

Emma giggled.

"Did I?"

"My back will say..." Judy said, earning a confused look from her granddaughter. Jack picked Emma from Judy's arms.

Rachel smiled, watching them. A few seconds later they approached.

"Rachel, darling, how are you?"

"Doing really well, Judy, thank you. What about you?"

"Fantastic! We were a little late 'cause we spent the whole day at Monica's with the twins so she and Chandler could have the day off together. We thought they were gonna catch up with you, actually."

"No, I had to work all day, as did Ross. It's actually been a couple of weeks since we've last seen one another, life's been a little crazy... How are they?"

"Oh, really well. I mean, they've got their hands full with the kids, but, God, Monica's always wanted to be a mom and..." Rachel noticed a special sparkle in Judy's eyes as she spoke of her daughter. "She's really, really happy."

"Yeah, she really is."

Rachel smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear. Judy held her hand and Rachel smiled wider as Judy looked down at the engagement ring.

"So how are the wedding plans?"

Rachel and Ross smiled at each other.

"Still a very fresh... Daddy is still trying to book the Plaza."

"Mommy, can I be the flower girl??" Emma asked, as though she had just had the most brilliant idea in the world.

Rachel chuckled.

"Of course, honey."

"Yay!!" She celebrated, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together.

-

As the hours went by, Ross and Rachel found themselves more and more nauseated by the increasing smell of alcohol in everybody's breath. When Emma finally fell asleep, they decided to head back home. All the way in the cab from the Upper East side to the Greenwich Village Rachel couldn't stop thinking about life. The life she used to have, the one she almost had and the one she did have. She cast her eyes from out the window and turned to look at Ross, who was carrying a sleeping Emma on his arms. His hands were stroking her hair while he admired her pretty little face.

He was such a dedicated father. Rachel smiled to herself and looked out the window again, satisfied.

"You OK?" He asked her when they stepped out of the cab.

"Yeah, fine."

"Are you gonna tell me what was bothering you earlier?"

They walked up to the door and she opened it with her key, since Ross was still busy carrying their daughter.

"It's nothing. I was just very, very tired."

They started walking up the stairs.

"And I bet Emma didn't make it any easier on you."

Rachel chuckled.

"Of course. It's not her fault, though. Poor thing, I guess she just misses me when I work too much."

"I bet she does."

Rachel looked at him and remembered when it was him who got all upset when she worked late hours. He probably still did, but now he understood. She threw one arm around him as they walked up the stairs together.

"Well, I'll try to slow it down. Need to realize it's not just me anymore."

Ross smiled weakly.

"I'm sure Emma will appreciate that."

"But, you know... No matter how tired I get sometimes, all I need is a fresh reminder of how things would have been if I had never left Barry to make me realize just how happy I am to be where I am."

Ross nodded.

"I bet. I'm happy you're here too."

They smiled at each other and walked up to their door. Again, Rachel opened it.

"I mean, don't get me wrong." She said as they walked in. "There's nothing wrong with being a housewife. At all. And I know that. But the thing is... They weren't a team, you know? Those women put themselves down in that little post, on a different level from their husbands. They didn't talk like equals." She made a face, thinking about it. "Maybe it's only a small price to pay, for them. The price that will get them that Valentino dress and the new Mercedes and the cruise."

Ross shook his head.

"You can't buy love, though. Or happiness."

"I know. That's why I avoided those two little words." She ran a hand through her hair. "I've seen it all, Ross. My mom was one of them. Popping Prozac like it's tic-tac, shopping her way out of emptiness. It only works for like an hour." She was quiet for a second. Then she looked at him and smiled, taking his hand on hers. "Eventually you need something stronger. Something deeper and real. And truly important."

"Fulfilling." He added.

She nodded.

"I'll put Emma down now. I'll be right back."

She nodded and he left. She went into the kitchen and put some water in the kettle, getting things ready to make herself some tea. She picked up a cup, a tea spoon, sugar... As she opened the tea bag box, she cursed. It was empty.

"Damn."

She turned off the kettle and walked back into the living room, to find Ross coming back.

"We're out of tea."

"Yeah, it's in the grocery list, I'll get some tomorrow."

"OK." They looked at each other and broke into smiles. She walked up to him and they hugged. "God, I am so glad I left Barry at the altar that day." She whispered into his chest.

He kissed her shoulder.

"Me too."

"And you know what's worse?" She asked, breaking the hug to look at him.

"What?"

"At one point those women were actually trying to make me jealous." She shook her head. "I mean, if that makes them feel better about themselves... At the end of the day, we all know exactly what we're coming home to."

They smiled at each other and hugged again for a while. Rachel took her time to absorb his presence. The man she loved, the man she was going to marry and live the rest of her life with. She wouldn't have it any other way, there had never been anyone else. Things were... perfect. Even when they weren't.

She broke the hug and smiled at him.

"Come on, this day deserves a perfect ending." She suggested.

He smiled at her.

"Won't argue with that, ma'am."

"Good!"

She took him by the hand and they entered the bedroom they had been sharing for the past eight months. Very slowly, eyes on each other's, they leaned closer and kissed. The hands were very delicate and innocent at first, but within a few second they got bolder. He pulled her closer, pressing her tighter against himself and they deepened their kiss. But before they could fall together onto the bed, Rachel pulled away, breathlessly.

"Oh, wait, a little something I gotta do first, before I forget." She said softly.

"Alright."

Ross watched as she walked into the bathroom. Through the open door he saw her quickly getting her birth control pills from the medicine cabinet and swallowing one with a sip of tap water. She turned back around to find him looking at her. A look that spoke more than a thousand words. She smiled and shook her head, walking back into the room and throwing her arms around him.

"This coming from the man who couldn't speak for five minutes after I told him I was pregnant."

"What? I didn't say anything."

"As if you had to."

He chuckled.

"I just think it would be a good idea..."

"Well, me too, honey, just not now."

Ross made a face.

"I know, I just... can't wait to have another little one, you know? I mean... we make beautiful children, apparently."

Rachel smiled.

"We do. You're still gonna have to wait, though. Emma's still a lot of work and I just got the new job, honey... And we're not even married yet."

"We don't even have a date yet..." He whined.

She kissed his cheek and ran her hands up and down his back.

"Sweetie, you've had your big wedding. Twice. All I've had was a wedding I didn't stick around to enjoy and one at Vegas celebrated at Pizza Hut. You are not taking this from me."

He smiled.

"OK, OK."

"Come here."

They kissed again, this time without impediments. Slowly they took it to the bed and had no rush making love to each other that night, savoring every kiss, enjoying every touch.

"Hm, I love you so much..." She whispered as he got on top of her. He figured since she was so tired it would be best if he took control. She didn't protest.

"I love you too." He whispered back, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

She closed her eyes and smiled, hugging him very tight when he slid into her. She sighed blissfully and caught his eyes. They kissed while lazily making love, neither of them wanting it to end any time soon.

After some very generous time, her climax triggered his.

"Hmmm."

He smiled at her, who was already grinning like an idiot. Words weren't necessary. They kissed softly again and he rolled to his side of the bed, bringing her to lay on his chest for some time, as they always did. A very comfortable silence filled the room for a long time.

"Ross?"

"Hm?"

"Do you miss the way things used to be?"

"Sometimes."

"Yeah." She paused. "Me too."

He kissed the top of her head.

"We should go and visit Chandler and Monica tomorrow, what do you think?" He suggested.

She smiled.

"Yeah. That would be really great."

"We can also call Phoebe and make a day out of it."

"I just hope she's past her morning sickness phase."

Ross chuckled.

"Here's hoping."

Silence ruled the room once again. She let her mind wander, thinking of how things had changed over the last year. Phoebe had gotten married, Monica and Chandler had moved to the suburbs, Joey had moved to the other side of the country... The twins, her and Ross' reconciliation, Phoebe's pregnancy...! It was overwhelming. These days, they didn't get much time to catch up and be those careless young people they once were. Life had changed. But it was OK. They still loved one another very much and, well, nobody was alone. Even Joey, all the way in California, had the support of his own family.

They were all very happy.

She smiled and kissed Ross' chest, looking up to find him sound asleep. Sex always wore him out, no matter how light. She slowly got out of bed, wrapped a lavender satin robe around herself and went into the bathroom.

Night routine. She took a quick after-sex shower, removed her make up, brushed her teeth, applied her night cream... After thirty minutes, she was out and more awake than ever.

Grrrrreat, insomnia! It was all that she needed.

She took a deep breath and decided to check on Emma. She entered the room they had only slightly remodeled a few months before - it would have been risky to waste a lot of money on it, considering the plans of moving to someplace else in the near future - and found her little girl sleeping in her new "big girl bed". Rachel stood by the door and smiled at her, admiring her child through all the pink that bathed the room shining from the Princess Aurora nightlight.

After good five minutes, she closed the door after herself and retreated to the living room.

She turned the TV on and zapped through. Nothing interesting there. She turned it off and grabbed a magazine, quickly scanning it to realize she had already read it twice. There was a book at an arm's reach so she grabbed it. She looked at the cover and made a face. Something about new discoveries made on some fossils found _God knows who the hell cares where_. Besides Ross. She threw it on the coffee table. She wanted to sleep, not be bored to death.

Oh, that tea would do wonders for her right now...

She looked at her watch and was surprised by the time. It was still relatively very early and Central Perk should still be open.

Without any hesitancy, she rose to her feet and rushed to the bedroom, quietly yet very quickly getting dressed. Ten minutes later, she entered the coffee shop in a hurry.

The smell of coffee filled her nostrils and she smiled. The smell of their past, of so many delicious afternoons and lightheaded evenings with her beloved friends. She stood by the little step in the entrance and smiled, looking around. There it was, Gunther by the counter, nagging some waitress about something silly. She looked back and smiled at the doorway, the place where she and Ross had first kissed. God, it seemed like a life time ago.

"Hey, Gunther!"

"Oh, hey, Rachel."

"How are you?"

"Hm, doing- doing really good. Thank you. You?"

"Great!"

"You haven't, well, you haven't been around much lately, so I was just wondering if maybe anything had happened to you..."

Rachel smiled sweetly, well aware of Gunther's feelings for her, which he had so sweetly revealed on her supposedly last day in New York.

"No, I've been really good. Just, you know, busy...! Emma is all grown up now and it's not like I can drag her anywhere I want to, anymore. And then there's work and..." She trailed off.

"And the engagement." He finished for her. "Phoebe told me" He explained.

"Oh."

Gunther nodded.

"I- I think it's great."

Rachel nodded, in appreciation.

"Anyway..." She started. "Could you get me a chamomile tea, Gunther, please? To go."

"Sure. It's on the way."

"Thanks."

As Gunther went to work, she turned around to check the place again. And then she saw it. She couldn't help but smile. A group of twenty somethings, three guys and three girls, coincidentally (or not), sitting around the coffee table. There were three of them on the orange couch, two around the little table to the left and a couple sharing the armchair, the girl sitting on the boy's lap. Just the way she did with Ross when they first started dating.

Her smile grew.

"Here you go, Rachel."

She snapped out of it and almost felt foolish when she felt her eyes were teary. She silently paid Gunther, smiling the whole time, nodded him a goodbye and left.

-

After only a few sips of her tea, Rachel undressed and quickly got into bed, cuddling with her fiance, who acknowledged her presence by wrapping one arm securely around her. She loved it when they slept like that, on each other's arms. And sleep like a rock she did.

**The End**

- - -

I really, really, really enjoyed writing this! I hope you've enjoyed reading it! ;) Reviews are _very much_ appreciated! Thanks for reading!! And Tenneil, I take it back. You suck. OmgImkiddingyouaresocoolandhotlikeomgzz1!!!11!!!!eleven! Love ya! As usual, thank you for helping with this story!


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